Cult Classic sounded promising when I first heard about it so I was eager to get reading. Unfortunately for me, I found I couldn’t engage with it at all. Maybe it’s a case of right book, wrong time, because I can definitely see this being a great book. Sadly for me, it just didn’t hit the mark!

I was really excited to read this and it was very enjoyable, although I must say it didn’t quite live up to my expectations (I prefer Sloane Crossley’s non-fiction to either of her novels). A story about what would happen if you met all your exes over the space of two weeks whilst trying to decide if you were really committed to your fiancé, this is fun and funny, with a good twist in the tale I only saw coming a second before it did. It’s not got as much emotional depth as I expected and by the end the encounters are increasingly short and less consequential but overall a very enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Lola is at dinner in New York’s Chinatown with a group of old co-workers, ruminating on her uncertain feelings towards her upcoming nuptials, when she suddenly starts encountering all of her ex romantic partners. Is it mere coincidence or could it be something more…

I adore Sloane Crosley’s writing, so I was extremely excited to make a foray into her fiction. The thing I enjoy most about her writing is that idiosyncratically wry New York style of narration that shines through in her essay collections, and I was glad to see that this distinctive tone remains in Cult Classic.

Crossley skillfully blends a range of genres to create this magically unique tale and each encounter with a former boyfriend prompts a new revelation. It is well paced and witty, with frequent incisive observations on modern romance.

Overall, the plot revolves around an extremely unique, clever concept and it was hilarious and insightful in equal measure. Well worth a read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bloomsbury Publishing for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an intriguing novel. I liked the concept of it and I thinkthe repetition of the novel was made on purpose, although it got a bit tiring. I liked it overall!

3.5 stars!

Set in NYC, Cult Classic is narrated by 37 year old journalist Lola who is engaged to Boots. Lola has been dating a lot in her life and has collected a respectful number of ex boyfriends. When out with her colleagues one night, Lola bumps into her former boyfriend she hasn't seen since they broke up, sending them both down memory lane. Next day, she spots another ex while having a meal. How is this possible, what are the odds? When another ex crosses her path the next day, she starts to question whether this is just a coincidence or whether her colleagues might have something to do with it.

This was a fun read about modern dating and relationships that I breezed through in a couple of days. The writing style needed a bit of getting used to from my side, the dialogue is quick and conversation topics can change abruptly, but it was funny and enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cult Classic tells the story of Lola, who, whilst out for dinner with a group of old colleagues stumbles into a former ex. The interaction is awkward with subtle hints of sexual tension, yet both walk away feeling as though they have closed a chapter of their life they didn’t know needed closing. However, this is not the only interaction Lola has with previous exes. Throughout the novel Lola meets each and every single ex and she has no idea why. Is it fate? Or, is there something else at play here.

Throughout the novel we go through the love and the loss that is Lola’s relationship history. Partners she still cares for, and others she would rather avoid. Lola however, feels as though she has closed this chapter of her life and is engaged to a handsome, creative man, known as Boots. With each of the encounters she starts to question her current relationship and begins to picture the lives she could have had with each of these men, each having their turn in the limelight.

Now, I loved the whole concept of this novel. It felt contemporary and although the general premise centred around romance, the true plot seemed to be about finding yourself without the need of other people to define you.
The book was beautifully written and Sloane Crosley has a very relaxed writing style which makes for an easy read. However, no matter how easy this book was to read it took me longer than usual to finish because I was bored. Each relationship felt the same and Lola’s interactions with them were quite relaxed and too easy. Now, I know if I run into one of my ex partners I would not be as relaxed as she is. I would make it my ultimate mission to avoid them, or show off. I know we cannot make judgements about how we would act in certain situations without being in them ourselves, but Lola was just too chill. Like I needed her to freak out or something.

Lola is written to have a very snarky and sarcastic personality, now, I love a sarcastic character but she was just plain rude. I didn’t enjoy her as the protagonist of the story and felt that her whole personality was fake. She didn’t feel like a real person to me. The only time she showed any emotion was towards the last couple of chapters and even then it seemed like a show.

The most interesting character in this story is Clive, and we don’t get to see too much of him. The way people speak about him and the way he behaves is very much like that of a cult leader. He is charismatic and has a magnetic charm about him. You cannot help but like his character, however I think Sloane Crosley did him dirty in this book. If you want to know why definitely take a read.

Now, I myself do not think I will read this again. I found the ending predictable and just all round not my kind of thing. I think the description of this book is a little misleading as you expect something a lot creepier than it actually is. It is more comedic and lighthearted than creepy and mysterious. But, that is just my opinion.

I didn't really click with Crosley's chatty style. I feel like the concept is an interesting one but she doesn't seem to have much urgency in telling it, rather prefers to spend her time waffling on about pointless, empty diversions - a lot of the commentary on modern relationships was so boring - and ultimately what could've been a modern nightmare fable becomes chick-lit drivel. Definitely wasn't for me - a disappointing effort.

This is that smart book which is also fun, a bit kooky and easy to read that I always want to take on holiday. Lola's voice is witty and sharp in that distinctively NY way, and the dissection of modern dating is irresistible, and not in a chic lit-y way. In fact, the ideas about closure and the baggage of relationships give this some depth without compromising on the wackiness - overall, cool and exuberant.

Read this if you’ve ever run into an ex and questioned your existence (plus, add a cult!). It was a bit disorienting to find a romantic comedy (in novel form) that I actually enjoyed! but Crosley’s setup is so fun - she presents a mystery of sorts in which our recently engaged narrator, Lola, begins running into many of her exes in New York, so much so that it’s clearly not a coincidence (cult!!!). the novel gradually reveals itself to be a dissection of monogamy and the romance industrial complex, but moreso, the ways in which our emotional baggage splices itself into our present whether we like it or not. Lola’s quippy narration makes this hard to put down, and there were two twists by the end that completely took me by surprise. Crosley finely balances her idea of the cult of romance as a structure for one’s life with a literal cult to amusing ends. a perfect summer read!

So, I finished this book feeling slightly disappointed. I’m glad I persevered with it, as I did almost give up but I think the story as a whole was worth reading

I started off enjoying Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley and the dynamics between Lola and her boyfriend and the ones between her and her colleagues but then as it went on it kind of lost me a bit.

Cult Classic is a novel about a woman who keeps running into exes, and then it turns out that she's an experiment as part of an startup-cult who believe they can change the world through collective thought. Lola is a New Yorker engaged to her reliable boyfriend, nicknamed Boots. She spends evenings with her old friends from their time working at a print magazine, sadly no longer going, but after one of these evenings, she runs into an ex-boyfriend. That seems like a normal coincidence, until she runs into another ex the next day.

I was drawn to the modern cult element of the book and was hoping for something weird, which it doesn't start of as, but gets gradually weirder. The opening I found quite slow, not caring about Lola's issues with relationships and feeling like it might just be another straight-people-in-New-York-have-some-drama novel, but it picks up once you learn more about what seems to be going on, and there's plenty of witty hilarity as Crosley depicts a cult that appears like a startup, even with investor woes. I enjoyed the writing, which is biting and weaves together Lola telling backstories with the present narrative well, and I found the ending satisfied my need for the book to be a bit weirder than it mostly was.

I think people who are more engaged with literary novels about straight women navigating relationships, and therefore enjoy the satirising of the idea that you can get closure by running into your exes, might find Cult Classic more meaningful than me, as I enjoyed it, but I don't think I quite 'got' it. I liked the surreal aspects, especially the cult space and ideas themselves, and the ending takes the kind of turn that I hope for in a book that's weird and funny, but I also just found myself trying to get to the end of it.